At that moment, the door latch clicked, a fire suddenly appeared in front of them, and familiar things welcomed them like overseas travelers returning from a long absence. They walked resolutely, sile

At that moment, the door latch clicked, a fire suddenly appeared in front of them, and familiar things welcomed them like overseas travelers returning from a long absence. They walked resolutely, silently, each thinking about his own thoughts. The Mole was preoccupied with supper. It was completely dark, and there were unfamiliar fields all around, so he just followed the Rat obediently and let the Rat lead the way. As for the Rat, he walked in front as usual, with his shoulders slightly stooped and his eyes fixed on the straight gray road ahead. Therefore, he paid little attention to the poor Mole. At that moment, a call, like an electric shock, suddenly touched the Mole. We humans have long lost the subtler physical sensations, and cannot even find the appropriate words to describe the relationship between an animal and its environment - living or inanimate. A close communication relationship. For example, there is a whole set of subtle vibrations buzzing in the nostrils of animals day and night, such as calling, warning, teasing, rejection, etc. We can only use one word "smell" to summarize. At this moment, it was just such a mysterious fairy-like voice coming from the void, reaching the mole through the darkness. Its very familiar call made the Mole tremble all over, although he could not remember what it was for the moment. Walk, walk. He suddenly stopped there, sniffing everywhere with his nose, trying hard to catch the filament, the bundle of electricity that touched him strongly. In just a moment, he caught it, and with it came a flood of memories.

Home! This is the message they are sending him! A series of kind pleas, a series of gentle touches floating from the air. Invisible little hands pulled and pulled, all moving in the same direction! Ah, it must be right in front of him at this moment, his hometown. Ever since he first discovered the river, he left in a hurry and never looked back! Now, it sent spies and messengers to find him and bring him back. Ever since he ran away from home that bright morning, he had been immersed in his new life, enjoying all the joy, fun, and fascinating new experiences this life had brought him; as for his hometown, he had never even thought about it. Now, as memories of the past come flooding back, my hometown appears clearly before my eyes in the darkness. His home, though small, humble and sparsely furnished, was his, a home he had built for himself, a home to which he returned happily after a hard day's work. This family obviously also likes him, misses him, and looks forward to his return. Home is speaking to him sadly and plaintively through his nose, not resentful or angry, but simply reminding him miserably: Home is here and it needs him.

The call is clear, the call is clear. He must obey immediately and go back. "Rat!" he shouted excitedly, full of joy. "Stop! Come back! I need you, quickly!"

"Oh, come on, Mole, come quickly!" River Rat He shouted excitedly, still struggling to move forward without stopping.

"Stop, please, Rat!" the poor Mole begged, his heart aching. "You don't understand! This is my home, my hometown! I just smelled it, it's so close, so close. I must go back, must, must! Come back, Rat, please , please!”

At this time, the Rat was already far ahead and could not hear clearly what the Mole was shouting, nor could he hear the pleading in the Mole’s voice. A sharp tone. Moreover, he was worried that the weather was going to change because he also smelled something - he suspected it might be snowing.

"Mole, we can't stop now, we really can't stop!" he shouted back. "Whatever you find, let's come back and see tomorrow. But I don't dare to stop now - it's getting late, it's going to snow again, and I'm not familiar with this route. Mole, I need to rely on your nose, So come on, good boy!" The Rat didn't wait for the Mole to answer, but just kept walking forward.

Poor Mole stood alone in the road, his heart torn. He felt that a large pool of sad tears was gathering and swelling in his chest, and was about to well up in his throat and burst out. But even in the face of such a severe test, his loyalty to his friends remained unwavering, and he never thought of abandoning them for a moment.

"I'm telling you, I have to go find your house, even if I stay out all night. Cheer up, old friend, take my arm, and we'll be back where we were soon. ."

The Mole was still sniffling and begging, reluctantly letting his friend drag him back. The Rat kept telling him stories to cheer him up and make the tedious journey seem shorter. Later, the Rat felt that they seemed to have arrived at the place where the Mole had "stumbled", and said, "Now, stop talking and get down to business! Use your nose and your heart to find it."

They walked forward in silence for a short distance. Suddenly, the Rat felt a weak electric tremor, passing through the Mole's body and coming from the arm he held. He immediately withdrew his arm, stepped back, and waited with all his attention.

For a moment, the mole stood stiffly still, his upturned nose trembling slightly, sniffing the air.

Then he hurried forward a few steps - made a mistake - stopped - and tried again; then, he walked forward slowly, firmly and confidently.

The river rat was very excited and followed the mole step by step. Like a sleepwalker, the mole crossed a dry ditch under the dim starlight, crawled through a hedge, sniffed, and crossed a wide, bare and pathless field.

Suddenly, without any warning, he dove into the ground. Thanks to the Rat's heightened alertness, he immediately followed, into the tunnel that his sensitive nose detected.

The tunnel is very narrow, stuffy, and has a pungent earthy smell. It seemed to the Rat that they had walked for a long time before they reached the end and he could straighten up, stretch his limbs, and shake himself. The Mole struck a match, and by the light of the fire the Rat saw them standing in a clearing. The ground was swept clean and covered with a layer of sand. Facing them was the small front door of the Mole's house. There was a bell rope hanging next to the door. Above the door, three bold letters were painted: "Mole's House".

The Mole took a lantern from the wall and lit it. The Rat looked around and saw that they were in a vestibule. On one side of the door, there is a garden chair, and on the other side, there is a stone roller. This is because the mole likes to be tidy at home and does not like other animals kicking his ground into small mounds with footprints. On the wall hung several wire baskets with some ferns, and between the baskets were brackets on which were placed clay statues - Garibald's, young Samuel, Queen Victoria, and others. There are other Italian heroes. At the lower end of the vestibule, there is a skittle theater, surrounded by benches and small wooden tables. There are some circles printed on the table, which are signs of beer glasses. In the center of the courtyard was a small, round pond with goldfish and a rim of sea scallops. In the center of the pond stood a strange-shaped tower covered with sea scallop shells. On the top of the tower was a large silver-white glass ball, which reflected everything out of shape and looked funny.

Seeing these kind objects, the mole's face burst into a happy smile. He pushed the Rat into the door, lit a lamp in the hall, and took a quick look around his old home. He saw that everything was covered with a thick layer of dust, saw the desolate scene of the house he had long forgotten, saw how small its rooms were, and how simple and outdated its furnishings were. He could not help but feel depressed. He stood up and slumped down on the chair, covering his nose with his paws. "Rat!" he cried sadly, "Why did I do this? Why did I drag you to this poor and cold hut in such a cold night! Otherwise, you would have returned to the river bank by now. , warming his feet in front of the roaring fire, surrounded by your good things!”

The River Rat ignored his sad remorse and just ran around, opening the doors. , looking into the various rooms and cupboards, there were many lamps and candles lit all over the house. "What a wonderful little house!" he exclaimed happily. "How compact! How cleverly designed! Nothing is missing, everything is in perfect order! We will have a great time tonight. The first thing is to light a good fire, which I will take care of ——I am best at finding things.

It seems that this is the living room? Very good! Did you design these small couches installed on the wall yourself? Awesome! I'll go get the wood and coal, and you, Mole, get a duster—there's one in the drawer of the kitchen table—and dust it off. Get started, old man! ”

The Mole was greatly encouraged by the enthusiastic encouragement of his companions. He cheered up and worked hard to clean and wipe. The Mole brought firewood from time to time, and soon a furnace was set up. The flames roared up the chimney. He called the mole to come over and warm himself by the fire. But the mole suddenly became sad again, and fell down on a couch in frustration, covering his face with a duster.

"Rat," he whimpered, "what will you do with your supper? You poor cold, hungry, and tired creature, I have nothing to feed you—not even a crumb! ”

“How come you are so dejected! said the Rat reproachfully. "Look." Just now I clearly saw a screwdriver for canning sardines on the cupboard. Since I have a screwdriver, why don't I worry about not having a can? Brace yourself and come with me to find it. ”

They then rummaged through the cupboards and searched the house. Although the results were not satisfactory, they were not too disappointing. Sure enough, they found a can of sardines, almost a box full of biscuits, and a paragraph German sausages wrapped in silver paper

“Enough for your banquet! said the Rat, as he set the table. "I dare say there are some animals who would love to have dinner with us tonight!" ”

“No bread! groaned the Mole with a mournful face; "No butter, no——"

"No foie gras, no champagne!" "The Rat curled his lips and sneered. "I remember now - what's in that little door at the end of the passage? Of course it’s your pantry! All your goodies are hidden there! You wait. "

He walked into the storage room and came out after a while, with a bit of dust on his body. He held a bottle of beer in each paw and a bottle of beer under each arm. "Mole "Rat, it seems you are quite a gourmet foodie," he commented. "Everything that is delicious is always in abundance." This cabin is more pleasant than anywhere else. Hey, where did you get these pictures? Hanging these paintings makes this small house feel more like a home. Tell us, how did you arrange it like this? ”

While the Rat was busy taking the plate, knife and fork, and mixing the mustard into the egg cup, the Mole’s chest was still heaving due to the emotional excitement just now. He began to tell the Rat, and at first there was He was a little embarrassed, but then he became more and more enthusiastic and unrestrained. He told him how this was designed, how he figured out that, this was accidentally obtained from an aunt, and that was an important discovery. It was a bargain, and this thing was bought through frugality and hard work. As he talked, his mood improved, and he couldn't help but touch his belongings with his hands. He opened the lamp and introduced their characteristics to the guests in detail, forgetting about the dinner that they both urgently needed. The Rat, although he was very hungry, pretended to be nonchalant and nodded seriously. , frowned and looked at it carefully, and then said "remarkable" and "great" when he noticed the mistake.

Finally, the Rat finally coaxed him back to the dining table, and when he was about to open the sardine can in earnest, he saw something in the courtyard. There was a sound inside - like little feet stamping on the sand, and small voices talking intermittently. Some words came to their ears intermittently - "Okay, now everyone stands in a row -" Tommy, raise the lantern higher - clear your throats first - no more coughing after I say one, two, three - where's Little Bill? Come here quickly, we are all waiting-"

"What happened? "The Rat stopped what he was doing and asked.

"The field mice must be here," the Mole replied, showing a rather proud look. "At this time of year, they usually go to various places. It has become a trend in this area for families to visit each other to sing Christmas carols. They never missed my house - they always ended up at Mole House. I always buy them a hot drink and, if I can afford it, a supper. Hearing them sing Christmas carols is like stepping back in time.

”

“Let’s take a look! cried the Rat, and he jumped up and ran to the door.

They opened the door at once, and a beautiful and moving festive scene appeared in front of them. In the vestibule, there was the dim light of a horn lantern. Under the light, eight or ten little voles stood in a semicircle, each wearing a long red woolen scarf around their neck, their front paws deeply inserted into their pockets, their feet tapping the ground lightly to keep warm. , looked at each other shyly, snickered, sniffed, and tugged on his sleeves for a while. When the door opened, the older vole holding the lantern shouted, "Ready - one." , two, three! "The squeaky little voices started singing together, singing an old Christmas song. This song was composed by their ancestors in the frost-covered fallow fields, or by the fireside with the door closed by heavy snow. Passed down from generation to generation, every Christmas, the field mice stand on the muddy streets and sing these hymns in front of the brightly lit windows.

"Christmas Carols"

My fellow villagers, in this severe cold season,

open your doors wide open,

let us take a break by your fireside,

although The wind and snow will come in,

You will be happy tomorrow

We stand in the frost, rain and snow,

Clicking our fingers and stamping our feet! Heels,

Come from afar to bless you -

You sit by the fire, we stand in the middle of the street -

Wish you a happy morning!

Because of the time before midnight,

a star guides us forward,

blessing and good luck come from the sky——

Ming May you be blessed in the morning and blessed all the year round.

The joy of the morning will be endless.

The good man Joseph was walking in the snow——

Seeing a star in the sky above the stable!

Maria need not go any further -

Welcome, hut, maternity bed under the roof!

She will be happy tomorrow morning!

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Then they heard the angel say:

“Who is the first to shout Christmas?

It is all the animals,

Because they live in the stable,

The joy will belong to them tomorrow morning! ”

The singing stopped, the singers smiled coyly, glanced sideways at each other, and then there was silence—but only for a moment. Then, far away on the ground, through the tunnel through which they had come. , there was a faint buzzing of bells, and a cheerful music was played.

"Singing so well, children!" cried the Rat enthusiastically. "Come inside, warm yourself up by the fire, and have something hot to eat!" "

"Yes, field mice, come in quickly," the mole shouted hurriedly. "Just like before! Close the door. Move that bench to the fire. Now, please wait a moment while we—alas, Rat! "He shouted desperately, sitting slumped on the chair, tears almost falling. "What are we doing? We have nothing to treat them to! "

"Leave this to me," said the river rat, whose master was full of dignity. "Hey, this lantern-maker, come here, I have something to ask you. Tell me, are there any shops open at this hour? "

"Of course, sir," the field mouse replied respectfully. "At this season of the year, our shop is open day and night. ”

“That’s good! "said the River Rat. "You go immediately with a lantern and buy me——"

Then they whispered for a while, and the Mole only heard a few words here and there, what——"Attention , want fresh ones! ——No, one pound is enough. It must be made by Perkins. I don’t want anything else. No, just the best. If that store doesn’t have it, try another one. Yes, of course it must be homemade. Yes, no canning - well, do your best! "Then, only a bunch of jingling sounds were heard, a handful of coins fell from one paw into the other, and a large shopping basket was handed to the field mouse, so the field mouse carried the lantern and went out quickly.

The rest of the voles sat in a row on the bench, with their little legs hanging and swinging back and forth, enjoying the warmth of the fire.

They baked the chilblains on their feet over the fire until they stung and itched. The Mole tried to induce them to talk freely, but failed, so he talked about family history and asked them to tell the names of their many brothers one by one. It seems that because their brothers are still young, they are not allowed to go out to sing Christmas songs this year. song, but maybe I will get my parents’ permission soon.

At this time, the Rat was busy looking at the label on the beer bottle. "You can see it's from Old Burton," he commented approvingly. "Mole is very knowledgeable! It's an authentic product! Now we can use it to mix hot mulled wine! Mole, get your household items ready, and I'll uncork the bottle."

The mulled wine will be mixed quickly. Okay, so I plunged the tin pot of wine into the red flame; after a while, every vole was sipping, coughing, and choking (because a little hot mulled wine is powerful enough) , wiped tears, laughed again, forgetting that they had been freezing in their lives.

"These little guys can act," the Mole introduced to the Rat. "The play was all written and performed by them. The acting was awesome! Last year, they performed a wonderful play for us, about a field mouse who was captured by a North African pirate ship at sea and forced to live in the cabin of the ship. Then he escaped and when he returned to his hometown, his beloved girl entered the monastery. Hey, you have participated in the show. Stand up and read a line for us.

The named vole stood up, giggled shyly, glanced around, but was speechless and could not utter a word. His companions cheered him up, the Mole coaxed and encouraged him, and the River Rat even grabbed his shoulders and shook him, but nothing worked and he couldn't get rid of the fainting. They circled around him like a group of sailors rescuing a man who had been drowned for a long time according to the rules of the Royal Society for the Rescue of Drowned Persons. At this time, the door latch clicked, the door opened, and the field mouse holding the lantern, staggering under the weight of the heavy basket, walked in.

When the real things in the basket were dumped on the dining table, no one mentioned the acting thing again. Under the control of the Rat, each animal started to do something or fetch something. In a few minutes, dinner will be ready. As if in a dream, the Mole sat down at the main seat of the dining table. He saw that the table that was empty just now was now filled with delicious food. He saw that his children were all beaming with joy and couldn't wait to devour them. He himself also let go of his belly. Chew on those magically conjured foods. He thought to himself that this time he returned home, he never expected that the result would be so perfect. They chatted while eating and talked about the past. The field mice told him the latest local news and tried to answer his hundreds of questions. The River Rat rarely spoke, and only asked the guests to get what they needed and enjoy themselves, so that the Mole didn't have to worry about anything.

Finally, the voles chatted, thanked their hosts repeatedly, wished their hosts a happy holiday, and left. Their pockets were filled with souvenirs for their little brothers and sisters at home. theirs. When the last guest was sent away, the door was closed, and the tinkling of the lantern gradually faded away, the Mole and the Rat turned up the fire, pulled up the chairs, heated themselves the last glass of mulled wine before going to bed, and then Discussing what happened during this long day. Finally, the Rat yawned loudly and said, "Mole, old friend, I'm so tired. The word 'drowsy' is not enough. Your own bed is over there, isn't it? Then I Just sleep on this bed. This is a wonderful little house! Everything is convenient!”

The Rat crawled into his bed, wrapped himself tightly in the blanket, and fell asleep immediately. into the arms of a harvester, like a row of barley falling into the arms of a harvester.

The tired Mole was eager to go to sleep quickly, and immediately fell his head on the pillow, feeling very comfortable. But before closing his eyes, he had to look around his room. Under the illumination of the fire, the room looked very soft and warm. The firelight flickered, illuminating familiar and friendly objects. These things had long since become a part of him unconsciously, and now they all welcomed him back with smiles and no complaints. He was now in the state of mind into which the astute Rat had silently led him.

He clearly saw how ordinary and simple his home was, how small it was, but at the same time he also knew how important they were to him, and what a special significance such a safe haven had in his life. He had no intention of leaving behind his new life and the bright expanse, leaving the sun and air and all the joy they gave him, and crawling underground to stay at home. The attraction of the surface world is too strong, even underground, it is still calling him. He knew he had to return to that bigger stage. But it's always good to have a place to come back to. The place belonged entirely to him, the objects were always delighted to see him, and whenever he came back they were always received with the same cordiality.